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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cue — for pool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. content — the amount
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bat — the animal
  9. content — happy
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. kid — child
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. suit — clothes
  14. roll — a list
  15. plane — a tool
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. craft — a skill
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cue — a hint
  20. suit — in cards
  21. cue — a signal
  22. craft — boats
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com